1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to systems for recovering and separating oil from water and disposing of the oil and which are particularly adapted for use in marine oil spills.
2. Background
Operations for recovering oil from marine oil spills, separating the oil from water and storing or disposing of the oil continue to be beset by problems involving the use of known methods and systems. Marine oil spills, in particular, present problems in gathering oil from relatively large areas where it has spread on the surface of a body of water, separating the oil layer from water and then handling the recovered oil to either store it or dispose of it in an efficient manner. Recovery of oil floating on the surface of relatively calm bodies of water can be carried out using floating booms or barriers which contain the oil and which also are effective in channeling the oil toward a separation system.
One shortcoming of known types of separation systems is the inability to handle relatively large volumes of oil-water mixtures and provide effective separation of the oil from the water so that the water may be disposed of by merely returning it to the river, lake or ocean from which it was withdrawn. Disposal of the recovered oil is also a problem in that, if the oil has been exposed to atmospheric conditions for more than several hours, its usefulness as a refinery feedstock is diminished and, if suitable storage and transport facilities are not available, final disposal must be carried out without delay to avoid loss of the oil from a contained area on the body of water, for example. In other words, the oil may eventually become a tar-like substance after the more volatile components of the oil evaporate and the residue is likely to sink, thereby contaminating the sea bed. With these problems in mind, the present invention has been developed with a view to providing a more efficient and effective oil-water separation, recovery and disposal system.